The present application discloses technology which is used to help a business keep a computer based production environment operating efficiently and with good performance. The “production environment” could be any of many different things. In some instances, the production environment could be a networked system of computer servers that are used to run an online retailing operation. In another instance, the production environment could be a computer system used to generate computer software applications. In still other embodiments, the production environment could be a computer controlled manufacturing system. Virtually any sort of production environment that relies upon computers, computer software and/or computer networks could benefit from the systems and methods disclosed in this application.
As computer-based production environments scale up and become larger, performance can decline. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep all portions of the system operating efficiently. There are many software applications that have been designed to monitor a production environment, and to report on key metrics and events. However, the data and reports generated by such monitoring applications can themselves be difficult to comprehend. It can be difficult to use such data and reports in a meaningful manner to restore peak performance. Also, when problems and issues arise in such a production environment, it can be very difficult for a system administrator to identify the root causes of the problems or issues based on the data and reporting provided by such a monitoring application.
For all the above reasons, there is a need for additional technology that can monitor the activity in a production environment, and identify the root causes of problems and issues as they arise. There is also a need for technology that can proactively identify problems as they arise, and which can take steps to mitigate or solve the problems without the need for human intervention.